Bridge federation wins largest share of government sports funding

The Latvian government allocated nearly 150,000 euros of a 225,000-euro fund for international sporting events to the country’s bridge federation, LSM’s De Facto reported. The funding competition was announced after the bridge championship had already taken place.

Government officials reportedly knew that the Economy Ministry’s proposal to allocate 225,000 euros to unnamed international sporting events was intended for a bridge championship in Latvia. However, critical remarks by new Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs of the United List led the funding to be presented as the result of an open competition.

Eight federations applied for the funding, but bridge received the largest share. The Council of Latvian Sports Federations said the competition had not been specifically tailored to bridge.

Bridge federation head and National Alliance politician Imants Parādnieks said in June that organisers had been seeking funding until just weeks before the European bridge championship planned in Riga. The overall budget for national team and youth championships was close to one million euros.

Former parliamentary secretary at the Ministry of Education and Science Dāvis Mārtiņš Daugavietis of New Unity said the ministry had considered it more useful to invest available money in mass participation sports or children and young people.

“We also pointed out that we did not have spare funds to provide for the event,” Daugavietis said, referring to discussions with Parādnieks and the minister.

Parādnieks said the funding issue began to move forward during the final period of the previous government. Kulbergs has questioned the allocation of 147,000 euros to the bridge championship after the event had taken place.